Four Men Accused Of Searching Internet For Sexual Encounters With Children

CITRUS HEIGHTS (CBS13) — Four men were allegedly caught looking to have a sexual encounter with children in Citrus Heights.

Police say with the summer break right around the corner, more children will be at home and online.

Citrus Heights Police and federal agents have been working on the case for the past couple of weeks, landing four men behind bars.

Many parents in Citrus Heights know about the investigation, but are not shocked.

Recently, undercover officers and the FBI went online posting as a 14-year-old girl who was bored and looking for some conversation. They apparently got an immediate response.

Based on several criminal complaints obtained by CBS13, four men who don’t know each other allegedly made it clear to the decoy that they wanted more than just conversation.

In one post, as suspect allegedly says “I’ll bring my camera and take pictures of you … You’d be with me. So something fun would be a little groping and dirty talk. Maybe see what we can get away with.”

Another suspect even allegedly sent inappropriate pictures of himself.

The complaint also reveals another suspect allegedly drove to a Citrus Heights park with condoms hoping to take the chat to the next level. Instead, he found police ready to greet him.

With summer close by, police are concerned many kids will be home alone and online.

“As a police officer and also a parent, we want to make sure that parents are engaging with their children when it comes to these online forums,” said Citrus Heights Police Lt. Ryan Kinnan.

All four men are facing federal charges and could face up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.